Dates

NSH @ RPI 2027 will take place on January 30–31, 2027 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Project submissions will close on Sunday, January 31 at 1:15 PM.

 

The event schedule and individual activity times are subject to change. Any major schedule updates will be communicated to registered participants.

Eligibility

All participants must register by the official registration deadline to participate in NSH @ RPI 2027. Participants who do not register by the deadline will not be permitted to compete, submit a project, or be eligible for prizes or raffles. Walk-in participation is not permitted.

NSH @ RPI 2027 is open to currently enrolled high school, college, and university students.

Participants may compete individually or in teams of up to four members.

Participants under the age of 18 must comply with all Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute requirements for minors, including any required parent or guardian consent forms and supervision requirements.

High school participants may participate during designated event hours but may not remain overnight unless otherwise permitted by RPI policy. Overnight access is limited to eligible RPI students.

Hackathon organizers, judges, and mentors are not eligible to compete.

Project and Submission Requirements

All projects must be developed primarily during the hackathon. Participants may use existing libraries, frameworks, APIs, open-source tools, hardware platforms, and other publicly available resources to support their projects.

Projects should relate to the Automate the Everyday theme by using technology to simplify, improve, automate, or reimagine an everyday task, process, or experience.

Each team must submit the following before the submission deadline:

  • Prototype — A working or partially working version of the project that demonstrates its main idea and functionality.
  • Presentation Slides — A short presentation explaining the problem, proposed solution, implementation, and purpose or impact of the project.
  • Demo — Teams must be prepared to demonstrate their project to judges during the Project Expo.
  • Project Description — A brief explanation of the project, the problem it addresses, and the technologies used.
  • Team Information — The names of all team members who contributed to the project.

Teams are encouraged to include links to a GitHub repository, deployed application, website, or other supporting materials when available.

 

Projects do not need to be completely finished to be eligible for judging. Teams should be able to clearly demonstrate their idea, progress, and what was accomplished during the hackathon.

Prizes

Prizes will be awarded to selected projects based on the results of judging.

Prize categories, awards, and additional prize information are currently being finalized and will be announced before the event.

 

Additional prizes or special award categories may also be announced by NSH @ RPI organizers, partners, or sponsors.

Judging Criteria and Winner Selection

Projects will be evaluated by a panel of judges during the Project Expo and Judging period.

The final judging criteria and scoring rubric are currently being finalized and will be shared with participants before judging begins.

Criteria may consider areas such as:

  • Creativity and originality
  • Technical implementation
  • Relevance to the Automate the Everyday theme
  • Usefulness or potential impact
  • Quality of the prototype and demonstration
  • Presentation and ability to clearly explain the project

Winners will be selected based on judges' evaluations using the final announced judging rubric. In the event of a tie or other judging issue, the hackathon organizers and judging panel will determine the final result.

Code of Conduct

NSH @ RPI is committed to providing a safe, respectful, inclusive, and harassment-free environment for everyone participating in the hackathon.

Harassment or discrimination will not be tolerated on the basis of:

  • Gender, gender identity, or gender expression

  • Age

  • Sexual orientation

  • Disability

  • Physical appearance or body size

  • Race, ethnicity, or nationality

  • Religion

  • Political views

  • Level of education

  • Previous hackathon experience or lack of experience

  • Computing or technical experience

  • Programming language, framework, platform, or technology stack

Participants are expected to treat fellow participants, organizers, volunteers, mentors, judges, sponsors, and guests with respect throughout the event.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to, offensive verbal comments, intimidation, threats, unwanted physical contact, deliberate disruption of activities, inappropriate photography or recording, sustained unwelcome attention, and sexual harassment.

Sexual language, imagery, or behavior is not appropriate in any hackathon-related setting, including:

  • Projects or hacks

  • Presentations and demonstrations

  • Workshops and technical sessions

  • Event activities and social gatherings

  • Discord, Slack, Devpost, or other event communication platforms

  • Social media posts associated with the event

  • Any other online or in-person space connected to NSH @ RPI

Participants who are asked to stop inappropriate or harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

Anyone who violates this Code of Conduct may receive a warning, be removed from an activity, become ineligible for prizes, or be removed from the hackathon entirely at the discretion of NSH @ RPI organizers and, when applicable, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute staff.

Retaliation against anyone who reports a concern or assists with resolving a Code of Conduct issue will not be tolerated.

Reporting a Concern

If you experience or witness behavior that violates this Code of Conduct, please contact an NSH @ RPI organizer or designated event staff member as soon as possible.

Primary Contact: Aliyah Zaizay - Director
Email: nshrpi.director@gmail.com

Participants may also report urgent safety concerns directly to appropriate Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute staff or campus safety personnel.

Reports will be handled as respectfully and confidentially as reasonably possible. The organizing team will review concerns and take appropriate action based on the circumstances.